Luxembourg Gardens

Marie de' Medici had the palace and its garden built from 1612, inspired by the Pitti Palace in her native Florence. The palace now houses the Senate, and the garden, some 23 hectares, is where locals come to read, jog or play chess.

On the Grand Bassin you can hire little sailing boats that children push along with a stick, as they did a century ago, and beside the palace is the Medici Fountain, with its long pool under the plane trees. There are more than a hundred statues, including queens of France and a small replica of the Statue of Liberty.